Ranking each NBA team’s All-Decade starting 5 from the 2010s
29. Charlotte Hornets 2010s all-decade starting lineup
- Kemba Walker
- Nicolas Batum
- Gerald Wallace
- Marvin Williams
- Al Jefferson
Michael Jordan might be the greatest player of all time, but his complete ineptitude as an owner is baffling, resulting in just three opening-round playoff exits for the Charlotte Hornets — previously the Bobcats — and no more than 48 wins in any season.
Kemba Walker has been the lone consistent bright spot for Charlotte, blossoming from an undersized and inefficient chucker to a three-time All-Star averaging a career-high 25.6 points per game last year.
Al Jefferson would have a tough time surviving in the NBA with little range beyond the restricted area and poor defensive instincts.
His elite low-post skills could still cause issues with the right matchup against a traditional big man, but teams are smart enough these days to know how to run an extinct player off the court.
The trio of Nicolas Batum, Gerald Wallace and Marvin Williams don’t draw much praise, but each has an enticing set of skills when implemented at their best.
Batum is an oversized — he’s 6’9” — playmaking two-way wing, having averaged 5.7 assists per game over a three-year stretch who was brought in to ease Kemba of some offensive responsibilities.
Wallace is the type of versatile athletic wing in high demand these days. His best season came at the start of the decade when he posted double-double averages en route to his only All-Star appearance.
Williams has size at 6’8” and 237 pounds to switch effortlessly alongside Batum and Wallace who once shot 40.2 percent from beyond the arc on 4.7 attempts per game in 2015-16.
Four of these players were teammates at one point but were never able to simultaneously be at their best to keep Charlotte competitive.
Watching Kemba work alongside a slew of competent players and capable defenders would be a refreshing change of pace, but even with Jefferson controlling the paint, these Hornets still lack the threats to keep multiple defenders off the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.